Friends, I’ve been meaning to write this post every week for the past 3 months. But every week, I put it off and host another Raw Foods Thursdays, because I become incredibly inspired by your submissions and faithful participation. So I set aside a few hours to write a highlight post, and the post I meant to write is pushed to the back of my mind.

Until the next Wednesday evening.

Raw Foods Thursdays is going to take a little break. I love this event, so this is a hard announcement to make. But my life has changed so drastically since moving to NYC that blogging has become less of a priority. I’m finding that instead of my normal 2-3 posts per week, my only posts lately have been Raw Foods Thursdays posts. Why? Because I’m busy with other aspects of my life, but I have an obligation to our wonderful participants and readers.

Realizing that I’m posting out of obligation finally made me write this today.

This isn’t goodbye.

This isn’t an announcement that Gluten-Free Cat is closing down.

I just won’t be writing as frequently for a season. And when I do write, I will write because I’m excited to share something with you and not because of a schedule.

I’m also finding that my diet is changing. While I will always love raw vegan foods, and my diet will mostly consist of plant-based meals, I find myself not sharing certain experiences with you because of the raw vegan label. You might be disappointed if I told you that I’ve been eating some non-vegan foods. (There, I said it!)

That when I stumbled upon this sign in the West Village I just had to try the pancakes and didn’t ask if they were made with eggs.

I don’t believe I’ll ever be a meat eater again. There are just too many ethical reasons why that no longer works for me. But I’m no longer swearing off all animal products. Living without them mostly? Absolutely. But completely? No.

I know that most of you don’t care how I eat, but there are some of you who read this blog because you’re a vegan. Not wanting to disappoint you is one of the reasons my posts have been dwindling. But I really just want to be me. Without a label.

So, let’s share some raw foods before my hiatus begins! And I will definitely let you know when RFT starts up again!

Here’s how you can participate:

Simply link up a raw foods recipe (see What is Raw Food?), mention Raw Foods Thursdays, and link back to this post so your readers can join in the fun!

Please link to the recipe, not to a blog’s home page, so we can all find your raw foods recipe.

You may link up a recipe that you’ve made in the past. Just make sure to share something different each time you participate.

Be sure to leave a comment letting us know who you are and what you’re sharing.

Feel free to use the Raw Foods Thursdays blog badge created by the lovely, talented Heather Peters!

Feel free to share this event in your social media communities as well!

What are Raw Foods Meals?

Plant-based meals that are not cooked. Dehydrators may be used. (The raw foods community has differing views on temperature, but the range is between 104 and 118 degrees.) Feel free to link up recipes that use a slightly higher temperature as long as they could be made at 118 with a longer dry time.

Happy May Day! I’m glad you’re here. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate a day dedicated to plants and flowers than to share our plant-based raw creations! Last week there were some incredible submissions, and I’d like to share some of my favorites with you.

Feel free to share this event in your social media communities as well!

What are Raw Foods Meals?

Plant-based meals that are not cooked. Dehydrators may be used. (The raw foods community has differing views on temperature, but the range is between 104 and 118 degrees.) Feel free to link up recipes that use a slightly higher temperature as long as they could be made at 118 with a longer dry time.

Welcome back to Raw Foods Thursdays, the weekly blogging event that will fulfill all of your raw desires. Well, all of your raw food desires anyway. If you’re new to this event, come join in the fun! Browse through last week’s entries, this weeks highlights below, and come back later to check out the raw goodness that will be linked up in the next few days. We’re glad you’re here!

Last week we enjoyed an assortment of smoothies, goodies, and unique raw creations. Here are a few that I didn’t want you to miss!

Feel free to share this event in your social media communities as well!

What are Raw Foods Meals?

Plant-based meals that are not cooked. Dehydrators may be used. (The raw foods community has differing views on temperature, but the range is between 104 and 118 degrees.) Feel free to link up recipes that use a slightly higher temperature as long as they could be made at 118 with a longer dry time.

I miss my Raw Foods Girls. But it has been a lot of fun to find likeminded foodie friends here in the City. We had a mostly raw foods potluck with a few friends, and I wanted to share some highlights with you. The menu had an Asian flair, so what better raw foods cookbook to cook from than Ani’s Raw Food Asia?

We started with Ani’s Summer Rolls with Ginger “Peanut” Sauce. These cute little cucumber wraps burst with flavorful veggies and herbs, and I love the cute little kelp noodle tendrils that peek through. These are fun to make, fun to eat, and scrumptious in Ani’s ginger “peanut” sauce which actually features almond butter.

I tried my hand at tempura using Ani’s Vegetable Tempura with Orange Lemongrass Dipping Sauce which can also be found in Ani’s Raw Food Asia.

Simply coat your favorite veggies in her zucchini-based tempura batter and dehydrate for 7 to 10 hours. The dipping sauce is insanely delicious.

Also from Ani’s Raw Food Asia was this delicious Shitake Mushroom Namul. Easy to make. Just slice the mushrooms and allow them to marinate for at least 20 minutes.

I pulled out a tried and true recipe for Living Pad Thai by one of the Raw Foods Girls, which you can find here. I think it’s my favorite raw foods dish…ever.

We also had vegan sushi. I toyed with the idea of making it 100% raw with a cauliflower cashew rice, but we went the white rice route. To make the raw version, just put equal amounts of cauliflower and cashews in the food processor and process until it resembles rice. To make the sushi rolls, follow the directions linked in my post Sushi, Vegetarian Style.

Our friends outdid themselves with their contributions. These marinated mangos were the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. I couldn’t believe how tender the mango pieces were. So tender that I didn’t realize at first that the mango hadn’t been peeled! Skin and all, who knew mango could taste like this?

Our friends also taught me that I have a broiler in my baby oven. Ha! They broiled up these eggplant strips for a little cooked fun.

A meal is never complete without a little raw chocolate, right? For dessert we enjoyed these pistachio truffles. The recipe for the chocolate base can be found in The Art of Raw Living Food. These are so rich that they can cause heart palpitations. Seriously.

Yes, all of this was made in this tiny NYC kitchen.

Living raw vegan in the City isn’t always this involved, but it sure is good to know that it’s possible even in this little space!

Happy Raw Foods Thursday! And this Thursday is sure does feel good to be alive! Thanks for participating last week despite my fight with the flu. That was one nasty bug that I’m happy to be done with. There wasn’t much raw foods creating or eating around here, unless you count raw cereal. But I sure did enjoy looking at your entries!

Last week we had a lot of incredible raw desserts. Here are a few highlights.

Feel free to share this event in your social media communities as well!

What are Raw Foods Meals?

Plant-based meals that are not cooked. Dehydrators may be used. (The raw foods community has differing views on temperature, but the range is between 104 and 118 degrees.) Feel free to link up recipes that use a slightly higher temperature as long as they could be made at 118 with a longer dry time.

This will be the shortest Raw Foods Thursdays post ever. I have the flu and can barely see the screen through my watery eyes. Everything hurts. My mouse finger hurts. So no highlights this week. But please do link up and check out the raw creations our friends have dreamed up.

And if you haven’t had a chance to go back to last week’s edition, please do. There were some lovely entries.

Welcome to Raw Foods Thursdays! It’s my favorite day of the week, because I know that by the end of the day I’ll have new delicious raw recipes to try! Thanks so much for your participation in this event. I hope you get as much joy out of it as I do!

Feel free to share this event in your social media communities as well!

What are Raw Foods Meals?

Plant-based meals that are not cooked. Dehydrators may be used. (The raw foods community has differing views on temperature, but the range is between 104 and 118 degrees.) Feel free to link up recipes that use a slightly higher temperature as long as they could be made at 118 with a longer dry time.

Where is Spring? There has been a lot of complaining about this winter. A lot. When New Yorkers hear that this is my first winter in the City, they make sure that I know that this has been the hardest winter in years. “You picked the worst year to come,” they encourage. “The winters are not always like this.”

But I haven’t complained one bit. Well, I haven’t complained much. I did complain that school wasn’t canceled on the days that it snowed between 8 and 12 inches, but even on those days it was kind of exciting to strap on winter boots and tromp through the snow to work. In general, I have loved this winter. This Southern girl loves the snow! And dealing with the cold hasn’t been too terrible either. While this is a walking community, ducking into warm places like shops, train stations, or cabs means you really don’t have to be out in the cold for too long.

Plus, I think I finally figured out the whole layering clothing concept.

But March is coming to an end, and Spring just has to be around the corner, right? If not, I just may need a visit to a tropical island.

Happy Raw Foods Thursday! I hope you’re having a great week and that you’re gearing up for a wonderful weekend ahead. I spend time meal planning over the weekend, and this event is always the first place I look for recipes. Hopefully you’ll find something here that you’d like to try too! I loved last week’s submissions and can’t wait to try them out! Here are a few highlights.

Feel free to share this event in your social media communities as well!

What are Raw Foods Meals?

Plant-based meals that are not cooked. Dehydrators may be used. (The raw foods community has differing views on temperature, but the range is between 104 and 118 degrees.) Feel free to link up recipes that use a slightly higher temperature as long as they could be made at 118 with a longer dry time.

A Curious Girl in the Gluten-Free World

I'm a curious girl, wife, teacher, friend, fitness fanatic, foodie, high raw vegan, child of the King, and Mama Cat. I've made the transition from baking and cooking gluten-free to creating raw vegan recipes that are naturally gluten free. My gluten intolerance opened up my diet to a whole new world of nutritious plant-based foods. And now I have another challenge ahead...I'm moving to New York City! I look forward to Living Raw Vegan in the City and sharing my experience with you.